Apparatus for continuously blowing molten metal



y 7, 1955 E. B. HUDSON ET AL 2,708,572

APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY BLOWING MOLTEN METAL Filed June 14, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEYS.

May 17, 1955 E, B. HUDSON El AL APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY BLOWING MOLTEN METAL 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 14, 1952 INVENTORS,

QLM

ArroRwEYs.

y 7, 1955 E. B.- HUDSON E AL 2,708,572

APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY BLOWING MOLTEN METAL Filed June 14, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 In /M /1 Ill/I c o 0 I L 14 i L Z IN! 'ENTORS [ow/M19. Hausa V QZIQQZQ ATTORNEYS APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY BLOWING MOLTEN METAL Edwin 3. Hudson, Middletown, and Charies R. Taylor,

Seven Mile, Ohio, assignors to Armco Steel Corporation, Middletown, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application June 14, 1952, Serial No. 293,538

3 Claims. (Cl. 266-45) This invention relates to an apparatus for continuously blowing molten metal. It is well known that molten metal from a blast furnace contains manganese and silicon, and that the manganese and silicon can be removed by blowing the molten metal with oxygen. There are, however, many problems in connection with such treatment of molten metal and it is an object of the present invention to overcome these problems and disadvantages encountered heretofore.

Thus, it is an important object of the present invention to provide means for blowing oxygen into the molten metal without having the oxygen directly contact the refractory lining of the blower structure. It is another object of the invention to provide a blowing apparatus wherein the depth of the molten metal in the apparatus may be readily determined and controlled. It is a further object of the invention to provide the features outlined above in connection with an apparatus for continuously blowing hot metal as distinguished from a batch procedure.

Another important object has to do with the removal of fumes resulting from the blowing operation.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a blown pig iron with a reduced silicon and manganese content for charging into an open hearth furnace so as to provide a hotter charge and to reduce the fuel require ments and ore charge for open hearth furnaces.

These and other objects of the invention which will be pointed out in more detail hereinafter, or which will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading these specifications, we accomplish by that certain construction and arrangement of parts of which we shall now describe certain exemplary embodiments.

Reference is made to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of an apparatus according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the same;

Figure 3 is an elevational view of the blowing apparatus proper on an enlarged scale;

Figure 4 is a vertical cross sectional view thereof,

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view taken on a line 5-5 of Figure 4 showing the blowing apparatus in blowing position;

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view taken on a line 66 of Figure 4 showing the apparatus in blowing position;

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 5 showing the apparatus in draining position;

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 6 showing the apparatus in draining position;

Figure 9 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on a line 99 of Figure 3 showing the apparatus in blowing position;

Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 9 showing the apparatus in draining position;

Figure 11 is a transverse vertical cross sectional view of a modified apparatus.

Briefly in the practice of our invention we provide a 2,798,572 Patented May 17, 1955 blowing apparatus comprising a tubular structure which is mounted for limited rotation from a blowing position to a draining position. Means are provided for producing rotation of the blowing apparatus. In the blowing position the blowing nozzles are below the molten metal surface and a discharge orifice is provided above the bottom of the blowing vessel so as to maintain a constant depth of molten metal within the blowing apparatus.

When rotated to the draining position nozzles are above the molten metal surface, and the discharge orifice moves to a position which permits complete draining of the molten metal from the blowing apparatus.

Referring now in more detail to the drawings the tubular blowing apparatus proper is indicated at 10, and it is provided with the end plates 11 and 12. The end plate 11 is the charge end plate, and the plate 12 is the discharge end plate. The charge end plate 11 has secured thereto a charging spout 13, and the discharge end plate 12 has secured thereto a discharge spout 14. The apparatus 10 is provided with the rings 15 which serve as tracks for rotation of the vessel 10, and these tracks 15 are engaged by the supporting rollers 16 which are rotatably mounted upon a supporting structure indicated generally at 17. The rollers 16 are rotated by means of a shaft 18 which in turn is driven through the gearings 19, 20 by a gear motor 21. By means of the motor 21, therefore, the blowing vessel 10 may be rotated from the position of Figures 5, 6 and 9 which is the blowing position to the position of Figures 7, 8 and 10, which is the draining position. It will be understood that the blowing vessel 10, as Well as the charging spout 13 and the discharge spout 14-, are lined with refractory material indicated generally at 22.

The discharge opening proper indicated at 23 (Figures 6 and 8) is eccentrically located in the discharge end plate 12 so that the depth of molten metal within the vessel 10 can be controlled.

The internal outline of the blowing vessel is indicated in Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 by the broken line circle 24, and it will be observed that in the position of Figure 8 the lower edge of the discharge orifice 23 is tangent to the inside surface of the vessel at 24, so that in the position of Figure 8 the molten contents of the vessel 10 may drain out through the discharge opening 23 and the discharge spout 14.

On the other hand, in the position of Figure 6 with the vessel 10 rotated to a blowing position the bottom of the discharge orifice 23 is above the bottom of the vessel indicated by the broken circle 24, so that the level of molten metal in the vessel 10 is maintained throughout the blowing operation.

The blowing vessel is provided with an exhaust opening 25 communicating with a fixed pipe member 26 which in the blowing position engages a fixed pipe 27. Exhaust fumes therefore, pass through the pipe 26 and the pipe 27 as will be pointed out in more detail hereinafter during the blowing operation. During the draining operation the apparatus separates along the line of contact between the pipe 26 and pipe 27, as clearly seen in Figures 9 and 10.

A series of air holes penetrate the wall of the vessel 19, as indicated at 28 in Figures 9 and 10. The air holes 28 communicate with an air mass hole 2? to which air is supplied by means of the flexible headers 30. Air is supplied to the flexible headers 30 through a conduit 31 from the blower 32.

The oxygen nozzles are indicated at 33 and they are substantially axially mounted with respect to the air nozzles 28. The nozzles 33 pass through the air manifold 29 and communicate with an axygen manifold 34. The oxygen manifold 34 is supplied with oxygen through 3 the flexible conduits 35. The flexible conduits 35 are supplied with oxygen from the oxygen header 36, which in turn is supplied with oxygen from a source not shown.

It will be understood, therefore, that as air and oxygen are blown through the nozzles 23 and 33 respectively, the blast of oxygen is surrounded by a blast of air and the oxygen is thereby prevented from coming into direct contact with the refractory lining of the vessel 10. By virtue of the flexible conduits 3t) and 35' the connections remain intact during rotation of the vessel from the charging to the blowing position and vice versa.

The pipe 27 mentioned above communicates with the exhaust stack 5% through an aspirating nozzle 41 which is supplied with air by a blower i2 driven by a motor 53. The blown air passing through the aspirating nozzle 41 induces the exhaust of fumes from the vessel it? and assists in passing the exhaust fumes out through the stack 40.

In the practice of the present invention pig iron may be received from a blast furnace in a Pugh car or the like, indicated generally at 5%. This car may enter the open hearth plant on tracks 51. The molten pig iron is poured into a runner 52 by rotating the body of the car 50 as is well known. The molten pig iron will be delivered by the runner 52 through the charging spout 13 into the blowing vessel 10. The molten metal flows continuously through the blowing vessel during the blowing operation and is discharged through the spout 14 into a transfer ladle 53 by means of which it is then transported directly to the open hearth furnace.

In Figure 11 We have shown a slight modification having to do principally with the means for rotating the vessel 10. In this instance a large sprocket 55 is provided on the vessel 10 and the sprocket 55 is engaged by a chain 56. The two ends of the chain 56 are secured to piston rods 57 of cylinders 58 which may be pneumatic or hydraulic as desired. It will be clear that if fluid is admitted to the cylinder 58 on the right hand side of the figure, while exhaust is permitted from the cylinder 58 on the left hand side of the figure, the vessel 10 will be rotated counter-clockwise from the blowing position in which it is shown to the draining position.

It will be understood that numerous modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of our invention and that we, therefore, do not intend to limit ourselves otherwise than as set forth in the claims which follow.

Having now fully described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A blowing apparatus for continuously treating molten iron comprising a tubular vessel having a refractory lining, means for rotating said vessel about its axis between limits, a charging spout and a charging orifice at one end of said vessel, a discharge spout and a discharge orifice at the other end of said vessel, the discharge orifice being eccentrically located with respects to the axis of said vessel and tangent to the interior surface of said vessel, one limiting position of said vessel being that at which the point of tangency of said discharge orifice and vessel is at the bottom of said vessel and constituting a draining position, said orifice at the other limiting position being above the bottom of said vessel, said other limiting position constituting a blowing position, a pinrality of air blast holes along the length of said vessel, said air blast holes being non-radial to said vessel and disposed so that their orifices are below the molten metal level when said vessel is in the blowing position and above the moietn metal level when said vessel is in the draining position, means for supplying air under pressure to said air blast holes, an oxygen blast nozzle disposed coaxially in each of said air blast holes, and means for supplying oxygen under pressure to said oxygen blast nozzles.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said air blast holes communicate externally of said vessel, with anair manifold, and means including a flexible conduit to supply air under pressure to said manifold, an oxygen blast nozzle coaxially disposed in each of said air blast holes, and means for supplying oxygen under pressure to said oxygen blast nozzle.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said oxygen blast nozzles communicate with an oxgen' manifold separate from said air manifold, and means including a flexible conduit to supply oxygen under pressure to said oxygen manifold.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 456,516 lvt'anhes July 21, 1891 1,856,716 Maschrneyer May 3, 1932 1,866,824 Sheridan July 12, 1932 2,209,153 Dillon July 23', 1940 2,451,086 Hicks et a1. Oct. 12, 1948 2,484,272 Crowe Oct. 11, 1949 2,546,937 Wyandt et al Mar. 27,. 1951 2,599,158 Brassert June 3, 1952 OTHER REFERENCES Pages 380 and 381 of Trinks Industrial Furnaces," vol. I, third edition, 1934; published by John Wiley and Sons, New York, N. Y. 

1. A BLOWING APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY TREATING MOLTEN IRON COMPRISING A TUBULAR VESSEL HAVING A REFRACTORY LINING, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID VESSEL ABOUT ITS AXIS BETWEEN LIMITS, A CHARGING SPOUT AND A CHARGING ORIFICE AT ONE END OF SAID VESSEL, A DISCHARGE SPOUT AND A DISCHARGE ORIFICE AT THE OTHER END OF SAID VESSEL, THE DISCHARGE ORIFICE BEING ECCENTRICALLY LOCATED WITH RESPECTS TO THE AXIS OF SAID VESSEL AND TANGENT TO THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID VESSEL ONE LIMITING POSITION OF SAID VESSEL BEING THAT AT WHICH THE POINT OF TANGENCY OF SAID DISCHARGE ORIFICE AND VESSEL IS AT THE BOTTOM OF SAID VESSEL AND CONSTITUTING A DRAINING POSITION, SAID ORIFICE AT THE OTHER LIMITING POSITION BEING ABOVE THE BOTTOM OF SAID VESSEL, SAID OTHER LIMITING POSITION CONSTITUTING A BLOWING POSITION, A PLURALITY OF AIR BLAST HOLES ALONG THE LENGTH OF SAID VESSEL, SAID AIR BLAST HOLES BEING NON-RADIAL TO SAID VESSEL AND DISPOSED SO THAT THEIR ORIFICES ARE BELOW THE MOLTEN METAL LEVEL WHEN SAID VESSEL IS IN THE BLOWING POSITION AND ABOVE THE MOLETN METAL LEVEL WHEN SAID VESSEL IS IN THE DRAINING POSITION, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING AIR UNDER PRESSURE TO SAID AIR BLAST HOLES, AN OXYGEN BLAST NOZZLE DISPOSED COAXIALLY IN EACH OF SAID AIR BLAST HOLES, AND MEANS FOR SUPPORTING OXYGEN UNDER PRESSURE TO SAID OXYGEN BLAST NOZZLES. 